Business Diary: The return of the fabulous Fab

Thursday 10 February 2011 00:00 BST

Click to followThe Independent Online

It's been a while since we've heard about the wonderfully entertaining Fabrice Tourre, the Goldman Sachs man whose embarrassing emails were at the centre of a scandal. Happily for us all, the FCIC, the US inquiry into the financial crisis, has just released more of his missives. Tourre's justification for selling stuff he didn't really get is particularly enjoyable. "Anyway, not feeling too guilty about this, the real purpose of my job is to make capital markets more efficient and ultimatelyprovide the US consumer with more efficient ways to leverage and finance himself," he says.

Facebook and the oldest profession

Facebook's quest to take over the world continues. A report published in the latest edition of Wired reveals that it is now moving in on the oldest profession in the world. New York prostitutes have jumped ship from Craigslist, which has had a bit of a crackdown on adult services, in favour of the social-networking site in order to keep in touch with clients. Some 25 per cent of New York prostitutes' regular clients come through Facebook, Wired reports, compared with only 3 per cent through Craigslist.

Widening the search at Google

Google is the company everyone wants to work for these days – the good news is that it is trying to make its famously complicated hiring process just a bit easier. Where once staff hoping to join the company might have faced 10 or more interviews, Google now operates a "rule of five" to limit the number (though that's still plenty of doctors' appointments to get past your boss). It's alsodispensing with daft interview questions such as "how many table tennis balls does it take to fill an aeroplane" in favour of more straightforward chit-chat.

Barclays' loved ones in for a treat

Let's say this about new Barclays boss Bob Diamond: he doesn't lack romance. The bank is unveiling its full-year results – and the all-important bonus pot – on 14 February, so its investment bankers will have no excuse for not splashing the cash on their loved ones this Valentine's Day. Unless, that is, Diamond wants to show restraint after his savaging for his "time for remorse is over" remarks – but it seems unlikely.